Life extension consists of attempts to extend human life beyond the natural lifespan. So far none has been proven successful in humans.
Several strategies are promoted:
- Stem cell therapy to replace damaged or diseased cells in living tissue.
- Gene therapy to repair damaged or diseased cells (including cancer).
- "Breaker" medication to remove glycosylated proteins and to restore elasticity to the organs, especially the heart.
The only strategy that has consistently been able to significantly extend the life-spans of laboratory animals is caloric restriction[?]. It has recently been popularized by Roy Walford[?]. Research on caloric restriction mimicin agents are ongoing.
External links to e.g. the caloric restriction FAQ should be put here.
See also: Longevity
Life Extension (commonly called LE) is also a
fictional company appearing a motion picture
Vanilla Sky (2001) that sold the protagonist David a "
lucid dream", which the company called the "cryonic union of science and entertainment." The subject's body is kept frozen, but the mind is left to roam free with no recollection of the subject's own death. If something goes wrong, the company can send technical support (played by
Noah Taylor[?]) to the subject.